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Children's books

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Original poster

What books for 2 year olds can you read over and over again without losing the will to live?

69 replies

stubbornstains · 07/10/2011 12:34

...because The Little Princess is about to meet a sticky end in our house, I fear...

OP posts:
ballstoit · 08/10/2011 08:22

DD2 (2.4) is into repetition at the moment so Owl Babies and Stick Man are both going down well...she's nearly at the point of parroting readin them to herself!

MinnieBar · 08/10/2011 08:20

Peepo
Hurray for fish (Lucy Cousins of Maisy fame)

goosiegander · 08/10/2011 08:15

Agree re rhyming books - and combined with humour works well. Try Mr Spotty's Potty.

jongleuse · 07/10/2011 23:22

DD just 3 loves all the Ahlberg ones; Peepo, Each Peach etc, The foggy foggy forest /Witch's kitchen/Jelly Nelly Nick Sharratt always get a laugh.
Also his fairy tale retellings are quite fun. I lIke Oliver Jeffers (Lost and Found etc) and Emily Gravett (Monkey and Me etc) because the illustrations are so lovely.

Poems? Spike Milligan, Michael Rosen, Roger McGough.
I'd find books that you like, whether because of the illustrations or the humour or whatever, and read them.
And think yourself lucky you don't have a toddler boy and have to read that Dig, Dig Digging or Flashing Fire Engines rubbish, night after * night. Also don't get into You Choose if you have a (slightly) obsessive child that likes to go through every single possible choice on the page....

Matronalia · 07/10/2011 22:39

Octopus Socktopus
Elephant Wellyphant
Moo Cow, Kung Fu Cow
Dont put your finger in the jelly nelly-all nick sharratt
Bathwater's hot by Shirley Hughes
Pirate Girl by Cornelia FUnke
Zagazoo
Click Clack Moo

SandStorm · 07/10/2011 22:30

I had Little Bear's Trousers by Jane Hissey. I knew it by heart and could probably still recite most of it.

posey · 07/10/2011 22:29

Just thought of another. Wobble bear says Yellow

mrsharrycunningham · 07/10/2011 22:24

Duck in a Truck / Super Duck - any of the Jez Alborough ones
Bumpus Jumpus Dinosaurumpus - Tony Mitton & Guy Parker Rees
Peepo - Ahlbergs
Any of the "Thomas & Friends" books
Dear Zoo / Dear Santa
The Hungry Caterpillar

mckenzie · 07/10/2011 22:20

Rattletrap Car - sorry, I'm not sure who it's by although i can find it later if you wish. I won't throw it away even though we don't read it any more - I loved it as much as the children.

PelvicFloorOfAAAAARGHSteel · 07/10/2011 22:15

Loads that have already been mentioned, I also love Bear by himself.

HarrietSchulenberg · 07/10/2011 22:08

Stick Man and Burglar Bill.

Rooble · 07/10/2011 22:07

Any Quentin Blake, especially Mrs Armitage (any of them), and Mr Magnolia.

BornToFolk · 07/10/2011 21:57

Yes, I can read any Shirley Hughes book again and again. I love Alfie more than DS does!

Bunsouttheoven · 07/10/2011 21:55

Most of the above....

Dogger Shirley Hughes

EmLH · 07/10/2011 21:50

I really like the books by Catherine and Lawrence Anholt, especially Good Days Bad Days

gapants · 07/10/2011 21:48

The Great paper Caper- Oliver Jeffers
The Gingerbread Man
The Gruffalo
Any of the books by Richard Scarry.

bluebump · 07/10/2011 21:44

Tiger who came to tea

Funnybones

The Babys Catalogue

Those are the three that my DS asks for and are the ones I can cope with reading over and over!

Panzee · 07/10/2011 21:43

Each Peach
Peepo
Goodnight Moon.

Read so many times that son reads them to me now.

TreeHouses · 07/10/2011 21:41

The absolute classics:
The gruffalo (and g's child)
Any of the Hairy Mc books
No matter what
Each peach.

Each of these I must have read thousands of times, and would still be happy to read another thousand times.

Alibabaandthe80nappies · 07/10/2011 21:37

Snail and the Whale and Smartest Giant in Town

Tiger who came to Tea

DioneTheDiabolist · 07/10/2011 21:36

Slatternly Mum Alert
Choose rhyming books, you will learn them by heart and be able to "read" them while watching the telly.

caramelgirl · 07/10/2011 21:34

Each Peach Pear Plum, the baby's catalogue by ahlbergs, Cave Baby by Julia Donaldson, the Elephant and the Bad Baby, Mog the forgetful cat.
Yy to good illustrations helping. And I find I dread anything with alot of repetition which the bad baby does to be fair but I skip some. She is now requesting more Alfie books by Shirley Hughes after a library trip.
Sorry for terrible 'phone typing- reading books really has helped me!!

BlondeG · 07/10/2011 21:33

Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack is possibly my favourite children's book.

And I find that pretty much all of the Julia Donaldson books are ok to read over, and over, and over, and over, and over....

No matter what by Debi Gilori is lovely, but sadly my boys both hate it - hopefully I can get DD I to it instead!

YankNCock · 07/10/2011 21:28

Monkey Puzzle, also by Julia Donaldson

Goodnight Gorilla - hardly any words, but DS really likes it and we talk about what is happening in the pictures. Essentially, the gorilla steals the zookeeper's keys and lets all the animals out. They follow the zookeeper home and get in bed with him and his wife. The wife takes them all back to the zoo, but the gorilla sneaks back again.

Goodnight Moon (a classic!)

Lougle · 07/10/2011 21:27

"We're going on a bear hunt" is just brilliant, and DD3 (2½) recites it from memory several times a day.

"The Gruffalo" (I can recite it off by heart, it has such lovely rhythm too) and "The Gruffalo's child".

"Duck in a Truck" is great